With the advent of the Internet, different forms of digital communications have recently appeared. Examples of such digital communications include email and instant messaging (IM). Often, in IM, one user communicates with another user in near real time. Unlike email, which resides on a server or a client until deleted, IM messages typically vanish when an IM chat session is terminated, unless that IM chat session is recorded in an IM chat transcript.
Currently, systems and methods exist in which instant messaging (IM) chat sessions are recorded in an IM chat transcript. Often, these systems and methods provide mechanisms for either activating or deactivating the chat transcript. Typically, when the option to record the chat transcript is activated, every IM chat session is recorded. Conversely, when the option to record the chat transcript is deactivated, then none of the IM chat sessions are recorded.
In view of this deficiency, a heretofore-unaddressed need exists in the industry for selectively recording IM chat transcripts.